We present the discovery of three new transiting giant planets, first detected with the WASP telescopes, and establish their planetary nature with follow up spectroscopy and ground-based photometric ... [more ▼]

We present the discovery of three new transiting giant planets, first detected with the WASP telescopes, and establish their planetary nature with follow up spectroscopy and ground-based photometric lightcurves. WASP-92 is an F7 star, with a moderately inflated planet orbiting with a period of 2.17 days, which has R[SUB]p[/SUB] = 1.461 ± 0.077R[SUB]J[/SUB] and M[SUB]p[/SUB] = 0.805 ± 0.068M[SUB]J[/SUB]. WASP-93b orbits its F4 host star every 2.73 days and has R[SUB]p[/SUB] = 1.597 ± 0.077R[SUB]J[/SUB] and M[SUB]p[/SUB] = 1.47 ± 0.029M[SUB]J[/SUB]. WASP-118b also has a hot host star (F6) and is moderately inflated, where R[SUB]p[/SUB] = 1.440 ± 0.036R[SUB]J[/SUB] and M[SUB]p[/SUB] = 0.514 ± 0.020M[SUB]J[/SUB] and the planet has an orbital period of 4.05 days. They are bright targets (V = 13.18, 10.97 and 11.07 respectively) ideal for further characterisation work, particularly WASP-118b, which is being observed by K2 as part of campaign 8. The WASP-93 system has sufficient angular momentum to be tidally migrating outwards if the system is near spin-orbit alignment, which is divergent from the tidal behaviour of the majority of hot Jupiters discovered. [less ▲]

As evidenced by this randomized trial, thymectomy clearly improved clinical status of patients with nonthymomatous myasthenia gravis (MG) and this study ends a very long controversy about the interest of ... [more ▼]

As evidenced by this randomized trial, thymectomy clearly improved clinical status of patients with nonthymomatous myasthenia gravis (MG) and this study ends a very long controversy about the interest of this surgical procedure mainly based on previous empirical observations. Although they are not discussed in this important paper, a series of experimental arguments reviewed in joint references argue for the idea that the clinical benefit of thymectomy is primarily due to the removal of the organ primarily implicated in MG pathophysiology. The thymus plays a central role in programming central immunological self-tolerance [1,2], and a thymus dysfunction is a primary event in the development of organ-specific autoimmunity [3,4]. It is therefore not surprising that the surgical removal of the primary 'sick' organ contributes to improve clinical outcomes and to reduce immunosuppressive therapy in MG patients. References: 1. Kamradt T, Mitchison NA. N Engl J Med 2001; 344:655-64. 2. Kyewski B, Klein L. Annu Rev Immunol 2006; 24:571-606. 3. Giraud M, Taubert R, Vandiedonck C, et al. Nature 2007; 448:934-7. 4. Geenen V, Bodart G, Henry S, et al. Front Neurosc 2013; 7:art 187. [less ▲]

We predict a universal echo phenomenon present in the time evolution of many-body states of interacting quantum systems described by Fermi-Hubbard models. It consists of the coherent revival of transition ... [more ▼]

We predict a universal echo phenomenon present in the time evolution of many-body states of interacting quantum systems described by Fermi-Hubbard models. It consists of the coherent revival of transition probabilities echoing a sudden flip of the spins that, contrary to its single-particle (Hahn) version, is not dephased by interactions or spin-orbit coupling. The many-body spin echo signal has a universal shape independent of the interaction strength, and an amplitude and sign depending only on combinatorial relations between the number of particles and the number of applied spin flips. Our analytical predictions, based on semiclassical interfering amplitudes in Fock space associated with chaotic mean-field solutions, are tested against extensive numerical simulations confirming that the coherent origin of the echo lies in the existence of anti-unitary symmetries. [less ▲]

We present the discovery and characterisation of the exoplanets WASP-113b and WASP-114b by the WASP survey, {\it SOPHIE} and {\it CORALIE}. The planetary nature of the systems was established by ... [more ▼]

We present the discovery and characterisation of the exoplanets WASP-113b and WASP-114b by the WASP survey, {\it SOPHIE} and {\it CORALIE}. The planetary nature of the systems was established by performing follow-up photometric and spectroscopic observations. The follow-up data were combined with the WASP-photometry and analysed with an MCMC code to obtain system parameters. The host stars WASP-113 and WASP-114 are very similar. They are both early G-type stars with an effective temperature of $\sim 5900\,$K, [Fe/H]$\sim 0.12$ and $T_{\rm eff}$ $\sim 4.1$dex. However, WASP-113 is older than WASP-114. Although the planetary companions have similar radii, WASP-114b is almost 4 times heavier than WASP-113b. WASP-113b has a mass of $0.48\,$ $\mathrm{M}_{\rm Jup}$ and an orbital period of $\sim 4.5\,$days; WASP-114b has a mass of $1.77\,$ $\mathrm{M}_{\rm Jup}$ and an orbital period of $\sim 1.5\,$days. Both planets have inflated radii, in particular WASP-113 with a radius anomaly of $\Re=0.35$. The high scale height of WASP-113b ($\sim 950$ km ) makes it a good target for follow-up atmospheric observations. [less ▲]

We report three newly discovered exoplanets from the SuperWASP survey. WASP-127b is a heavily inflated super-Neptune of mass 0.18Mj and radius 1.35Rj. This is one of the least massive planets discovered ... [more ▼]

We report three newly discovered exoplanets from the SuperWASP survey. WASP-127b is a heavily inflated super-Neptune of mass 0.18Mj and radius 1.35Rj. This is one of the least massive planets discovered by the WASP project. It orbits a bright host star (V = 10.16) of spectral type G5 with a period of 4.17 days.WASP-127b is a low density planet which has an extended atmosphere with a scale height of 2500+/-400 km, making it an ideal candidate for transmission spectroscopy. WASP-136b and WASP-138b are both hot Jupiters with mass and radii of 1.51 Mj and 1.38 Rj, and 1.22 Mj and 1.09 Rj, respectively. WASP-136b is in a 5.22-day orbit around an F9 subgiant star with a mass of 1.41 Msun and a radius of 2.21 Rsun. The discovery of WASP-136b could help constraint the characteristics of the giant planet population around evolved stars. WASP-138b orbits an F7 star with a period of 3.63 days. Its radius agrees with theoretical values from standard models, suggesting the presence of a heavy element core with a mass of 10 Mearth. The discovery of these new planets helps in exploring the diverse compositional range of short-period planets, and will aid our understanding of the physical characteristics of both gas giants and low density planets. [less ▲]

When gently placing a droplet onto a vertically vibrated bath, a drop can bounce without coalescing. Upon increasing the forcing acceleration, the droplet is propelled by the wave it generates and becomes ... [more ▼]

When gently placing a droplet onto a vertically vibrated bath, a drop can bounce without coalescing. Upon increasing the forcing acceleration, the droplet is propelled by the wave it generates and becomes a walker with a well defined speed. We investigate the confinement of a walker in different rectangular cavities, used as waveguides for the Faraday waves emitted by successive droplet bounces. By studying the walker velocities, we discover that 1d confinement is optimal for narrow channels of width of D≃1.5λF. We also propose an analogy with waveguide models based on the observation of the Faraday instability within the channels. [less ▲]

We aim to describe a droplet bouncing on a vibrating bath. Due to Faraday instability a surface wave is created at each bounce and serves as a pilot wave of the droplet. This leads to so called walking ... [more ▼]

We aim to describe a droplet bouncing on a vibrating bath. Due to Faraday instability a surface wave is created at each bounce and serves as a pilot wave of the droplet. This leads to so called walking droplets or walkers. Since the seminal experiment by {\it Couder et al} [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 97}, 154101 (2006)] there have been many attempts to accurately reproduce the experimental results. Here we present a simple and highly versatile model inspired from quantum mechanics. We propose to describe the trajectories of a walker using a Green function approach. The Green function is related to Helmholtz equation with Neumann boundary conditions on the obstacle(s) and outgoing conditions at infinity. For a single slit geometry our model is exactly solvable and reproduces some general features observed experimentally. It stands for a promising candidate to account for the presence of any boundaries in the walkers'dynamics. [less ▲]

We describe seven new exoplanets transiting stars of V = 10.1 to 12.4. WASP-130b is a "warm Jupiter" having an orbital period of 11.6 d, the longest yet found by WASP. It transits a V = 11.1, G6 star with ... [more ▼]

We describe seven new exoplanets transiting stars of V = 10.1 to 12.4. WASP-130b is a "warm Jupiter" having an orbital period of 11.6 d, the longest yet found by WASP. It transits a V = 11.1, G6 star with [Fe/H] = +0.26. Warm Jupiters tend to have smaller radii than hot Jupiters, and WASP-130b is in line with this trend (1.23 Mjup; 0.89 Rjup). WASP-131b is a bloated Saturn-mass planet (0.27 Mjup; 1.22 Rjup). Its large scale height coupled with the V = 10.1 brightness of its host star make the planet a good target for atmospheric characterisation. WASP-132b is among the least irradiated and coolest of WASP planets, being in a 7.1-d orbit around a K4 star. It has a low mass and a modest radius (0.41 Mjup; 0.87 Rjup). The V = 12.4, [Fe/H] = +0.22 star shows a possible rotational modulation at 33 d. WASP-139b is the lowest-mass planet yet found by WASP, at 0.12 Mjup and 0.80 Rjup. It is a "super-Neptune" akin to HATS-7b and HATS-8b. It orbits a V = 12.4, [Fe/H] = +0.20, K0 star. The star appears to be anomalously dense, akin to HAT-P-11. WASP-140b is a 2.4-Mjup planet in a 2.2-d orbit that is both eccentric (e = 0.047) and with a grazing transit (b = 0.93) The timescale for tidal circularisation is likely to be the lowest of all known eccentric hot Jupiters. The planet's radius is large (1.4 Rjup), but uncertain owing to the grazing transit. The host star is a V = 11.1, [Fe/H] = +0.12, K0 dwarf showing a prominent 10.4-d rotational modulation. The dynamics of this system are worthy of further investigation. WASP-141b is a typical hot Jupiter, being a 2.7 Mjup, 1.2 Rjup planet in a 3.3-d orbit around a V = 12.4, [Fe/H] = +0.29, F9 star. WASP-142b is a typical bloated hot Jupiter (0.84 Mjup, 1.53 Rjup) in a 2.1-d orbit around a V = 12.3, [Fe/H] = +0.26, F8 star. [less ▲]

On the fifth anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear accident, the article analyses what are at stake in the communities affected by the disaster, based on the result of the field interviews conducted in ... [more ▼]

On the fifth anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear accident, the article analyses what are at stake in the communities affected by the disaster, based on the result of the field interviews conducted in Fukushima. [less ▲]

We announce the discovery of the transiting hot Jupiter WASP-157b in a 3.95-d orbit around a V = 12.9 G2 main-sequence star. This moderately inflated planet has a Saturn-like density with a mass of $0.57 ... [more ▼]

We announce the discovery of the transiting hot Jupiter WASP-157b in a 3.95-d orbit around a V = 12.9 G2 main-sequence star. This moderately inflated planet has a Saturn-like density with a mass of $0.57 \pm 0.10$ M$_{\rm Jup}$ and a radius of $1.06 \pm 0.05$ R$_{\rm Jup}$. We do not detect any rotational or phase-curve modulations, nor the secondary eclipse, with conservative semi-amplitude upper limits of 250 and 20 ppm, respectively. [less ▲]

This note describes the solution of the Helmholtz equation inside a nanotorus with uniform Dirichlet boundary conditions. The eigenfunction symmetry is discussed and the lower-order eigenvalues and ... [more ▼]

This note describes the solution of the Helmholtz equation inside a nanotorus with uniform Dirichlet boundary conditions. The eigenfunction symmetry is discussed and the lower-order eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are shown. The similarity with the case of a long cylinder and with that of the vibrations of a circular elastic membrane is discussed. This similarity is used to propose a classification scheme of the eigenfunctions based on three indices. [less ▲]

In the last years, some Standard-Setting Organizations (“SSOs”) active in wireless communications have experimented new pricing principles for standard essential patents (“SEPs”). One of those experiments ... [more ▼]

In the last years, some Standard-Setting Organizations (“SSOs”) active in wireless communications have experimented new pricing principles for standard essential patents (“SEPs”). One of those experiments is the “SSPPU” rule. Under SSPPU, the licensing rates paid to owners of SEPs for the use of their technology shall reflect the “value that the functionality of the claimed invention or inventive feature…contributes to the value of the relevant functionality of the smallest saleable Compliant Implementation that practices the Essential Patent Claim”. This paper reviews the SSPPU experiment through the lenses of the Coase theorem. It finds that SSPPU interferes with the efficient operation of the price system, and is likely to reduce investment in socially beneficial activities, including in General Purpose Technologies (“GPTs”) which are key drivers of economic growth. [less ▲]

Airlines use itinerary choice models to allocate the total number of passengers in a city pair to specific itineraries. In a related paper, we estimated a multinomial logit (MNL) itinerary choice model ... [more ▼]

Airlines use itinerary choice models to allocate the total number of passengers in a city pair to specific itineraries. In a related paper, we estimated a multinomial logit (MNL) itinerary choice model using database of more than 3 million tickets for Continental U.S. markets provided by the Airlines Reporting Corporation that accounted for price endogeneity. The size and comprehensiveness of our database allowed us to estimate highly refined continuous departure time of day preference curves that account for distance, direction of travel, the number of time zones traversed, departure day of week and itinerary type (outbound, inbound or one-way). This paper and accompanying Excel spreadsheet located at http://garrowlab.ce.gatech.edu contain the results of all model coefficients (including the 1260 time of day parameters) and summarize results in a series of ten figures. These highly-refined time of day preference curves can be used by airlines, researchers, and government organizations in the evaluation of demand-management and other policies. [less ▲]

We study retirement incentives with augmented option value model à la Stock and Wise (1990). We propose methodological extensions to better reflect the respective incentives faced by singles and couples. Our results show that a more comprehensive modelling of couples’ incentives leads to very different patterns of retirement incentives – particularly for women. We apply the new indicators to data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and retirement in Europe (SHARE) in Belgium and find two key results. First, contrary to several previous studies, we obtain a positive signed income effects. Second, we find very different retirement incentives for men and women, with little flexibility in the retirement decision for men and substantially more flexibility for women as a function of financial incentives and household composition. [less ▲]

Enthused by China’s conversion to the free market system in 1978 and its adoption of Western-style market institutions, the world has spent the last few decades turning a blind eye to China’s real ... [more ▼]

Enthused by China’s conversion to the free market system in 1978 and its adoption of Western-style market institutions, the world has spent the last few decades turning a blind eye to China’s real “governance” problem: that a shadow Party-State system permeates all branches of the economy. Whatever Washington-consensus style institutions are put in place, whatever State Owned Enterprise (“SOE”) reform is introduced, corporate and market governance occur under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (“CCP”). And the CCP’s guidebook is the Leninist command that the whole of society shall be run as “single country-wide State syndicate”. This paper contends that China’s syndicated economic organization is akin to a “supertrust”, and that this creates conditions that are conducive to antitrust problems to which the Western world must awaken. In this context, this paper advances that the antitrust regulators of North America, Europe and elsewhere should take two simple, pragmatic steps under merger control and antitrust rules. In merger review, antitrust agencies should treat all SOEs and Privately Owned Enterprises (POEs) with a CCP cell as one unitary group and undertake a thorough competitive assessment of transactions on this basis. In addition, antitrust cases involving Chinese firms should be investigated on the default assumption that there is an underlying coordination scheme among them. [less ▲]

During a consultation between a patient and a doctor, symptoms, process and health problems are at stake and could be identified and retrieved through the use of ICPC.(refer to www.ph3c.org) Specific ... [more ▼]

During a consultation between a patient and a doctor, symptoms, process and health problems are at stake and could be identified and retrieved through the use of ICPC.(refer to www.ph3c.org) Specific training and managerial competences of the doctor could be identified and explained through the Q-Codes Together ICPC and Q-Codes form 3CGP ; Core Content Classification in General Practice/ Family Medicine The concepts identified in ICPC and Q-Codes could be useful to understand and teach the content of consultation in family medicine. [less ▲]

In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident, many of the post¿disaster responses undertaken by the Japanese government sparked vivid debates and criticisms from the civil society. The article ... [more ▼]

In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident, many of the post¿disaster responses undertaken by the Japanese government sparked vivid debates and criticisms from the civil society. The article examines the post-accidental management of the authorities, with a special focus on their risk communication, and explores what went wrong in the process. It deals with the issues of risk assessment, expertise, counter-expertise, policy-makings, stakeholder participation, and trust in crisis and disaster situations. [less ▲]

This paper shows that the European Union (EU) courts' case-law and general principles of EU law place the European Commission (“Commission”) under a duty to apply the Guidance Communication on Enforcement ... [more ▼]

This paper shows that the European Union (EU) courts' case-law and general principles of EU law place the European Commission (“Commission”) under a duty to apply the Guidance Communication on Enforcement Priorities (“Guidance Paper”) in abuse of dominance cases started after its adoption. This duty includes the obligation to test Article 102 TFEU cases under the As Efficient Competitor (“AEC”) framework, as set out in the 2009 Guidance Paper. The judgments handed down by the Union courts in Intel v Commission and Post Danmark II do not alter in any way the Commission’s “self binding” duty to apply the Guidance Paper. If the Commission wishes to depart from the AEC framework, it must officially withdraw its Guidance Paper. [less ▲]

We present the analysis of the entire HARPS observations of three stars that host planetary systems: HD1461, HD40307, and HD204313. The data set spans eight years and contains more than 200 nightly ... [more ▼]

We present the analysis of the entire HARPS observations of three stars that host planetary systems: HD1461, HD40307, and HD204313. The data set spans eight years and contains more than 200 nightly averaged velocity measurements for each star. This means that it is sensitive to both long-period and low-mass planets and also to the effects induced by stellar activity cycles. We modelled the data using Keplerian functions that correspond to planetary candidates and included the short- and long-term effects of magnetic activity. A Bayesian approach was taken both for the data modelling, which allowed us to include information from activity proxies such as $\log{(R'_{\rm HK})}$ in the velocity modelling, and for the model selection, which permitted determining the number of significant signals in the system. The Bayesian model comparison overcomes the limitations inherent to the traditional periodogram analysis. We report an additional super-Earth planet in the HD1461 system. Four out of the six planets previously reported for HD40307 are confirmed and characterised. We discuss the remaining two proposed signals. In particular, we show that when the systematic uncertainty associated with the techniques for estimating model probabilities are taken into account, the current data are not conclusive concerning the existence of the habitable-zone candidate HD40307 g. We also fully characterise the Neptune-mass planet that orbits HD204313 in 34.9 days. [less ▲]

Accessing the connection between classical chaos and quantum many-body systems has been a long-standing experimental challenge. Here, we investigate the onset of chaos in periodically driven two-component ... [more ▼]

Accessing the connection between classical chaos and quantum many-body systems has been a long-standing experimental challenge. Here, we investigate the onset of chaos in periodically driven two-component Bose-Einstein condensates, whose small quantum uncertainties allow for exploring the phase space with high resolution. By analyzing the uncertainties of time-evolved many-body states, we find signatures of elliptic and hyperbolic periodic orbits generated according to the Poincar\'e-Birkhoff theorem, and the formation of a chaotic region at increasing driving strengths. The employed fluctuation analysis allows for probing the phase-space structure by use of only short-time quantum dynamics. [less ▲]

The purpose of this HST white paper is to demonstrate that it is possible to monitor Jupiter’s polar haze with HST/STIS without breaking the ground screening limit for bright objects. This demonstration ... [more ▼]

The purpose of this HST white paper is to demonstrate that it is possible to monitor Jupiter’s polar haze with HST/STIS without breaking the ground screening limit for bright objects. This demonstration rests on a thorough simulation of STIS output from an existing image obtained with HST/WFPC2. It is shown that the STIS NUV-MAMA + F25CIII filter assembly provides a count rate per pixel ~11 times smaller than that obtained for one pixel of WFPC2 WF3 CCD + F218W corresponding filter. This ratio is sufficiently large to cope with the bright solar light scattered by Jupiter’s atmosphere, which was a lesser concern for WFPC2 CCD safety. These STIS images would provide unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution observations of small-scale stratospheric aerosol structures, possibly associated with Jupiter’s complex FUV aurora. [less ▲]

This work studies path planning in two-dimensional space, in the presence of polygonal obstacles. We specifically address the problem of building a roadmap graph, that is, an abstract representation of ... [more ▼]

This work studies path planning in two-dimensional space, in the presence of polygonal obstacles. We specifically address the problem of building a roadmap graph, that is, an abstract representation of all the paths that can potentially be followed around a given set of obstacles. Our solution consists in an original refinement algorithm for constrained Delaunay triangulations, aimed at generating a roadmap graph suited for planning paths with arbitrary clearance. In other words, a minimum distance to the obstacles can be specified, and the graph does not have to be recomputed if this distance is modified. Compared to other solutions, our approach has the advantage of being simpler, as well as significantly more efficient. [less ▲]

Considerable progress has been made in recent years in observations of atmospheric signatures of giant exoplanets, but processes in rocky exoplanets remain largely unknown due to major challenges in ... [more ▼]

Considerable progress has been made in recent years in observations of atmospheric signatures of giant exoplanets, but processes in rocky exoplanets remain largely unknown due to major challenges in observing small planets. Numerous efforts to observe spectra of super-Earths, exoplanets with masses of 1-10 Earth masses, have thus far revealed only featureless spectra. In this paper we report a 4-$\sigma$ detection of variability in the dayside thermal emission from the transiting super-Earth 55 Cancri e. Dedicated space-based monitoring of the planet in the mid-infrared over eight eclipses revealed the thermal emission from its dayside atmosphere varying by a factor 3.7 between 2012 and 2013. The amplitude and trend of the variability are not explained by potential influence of star spots or by local thermal or compositional changes in the atmosphere over the short span of the observations. The possibility of large scale surface activity due to strong tidal interactions possibly similar to Io, or the presence of circumstellar/circumplanetary material appear plausible and motivate future long-term monitoring of the planet. [less ▲]

In 2016, the NASA Juno spacecraft will initiate its one-year mission around Jupiter and become the first probe to explore the polar regions of Jupiter. The HST UV instruments (STIS and ACS) can greatly ... [more ▼]

In 2016, the NASA Juno spacecraft will initiate its one-year mission around Jupiter and become the first probe to explore the polar regions of Jupiter. The HST UV instruments (STIS and ACS) can greatly contribute to the success of the Juno mission by providing key complementary views of Jupiter’s UV aurora from Earth orbit. Juno carries an ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) and an infrared spectral mapper (JIRAM) that will obtain high-resolution spectral images providing the auroral counterpart to Juno’s in situ particles and fields measurements with the plasma JADE and JEDI particle detectors. The Juno mission will be the first opportunity to measure simultaneously the energetic particles at high latitude and the auroral emissions they produce. Following programmatic and technical limitations, the amount of UVS data transmitted to Earth will be severely restricted. Therefore, it is of extreme importance that HST captures as much additional information as possible on Jupiter’s UV aurora during the one-year life of the Juno mission. This white paper is a plea for a “Juno initiative” that will ensure that a sufficient number of orbits is allocated to this unique solar system mission. [less ▲]

The issue of passive and active electoral rights in Bolivia has gone through various phases that are examined in details in this article. Universal suffrage in Bolivia occurred around the same time as in ... [more ▼]

The issue of passive and active electoral rights in Bolivia has gone through various phases that are examined in details in this article. Universal suffrage in Bolivia occurred around the same time as in most states in that region: in the middle of the 20th century. The next wave of reforms occurred during the 1980s when dictatorships were removed from power. At that time, processes of democratization intensified in Bolivia and other parts of Latin America, eventually leading to the progressive strengthening of democratic institutions. It is really during the 1990s and early 2000s that the most important democratic transformations occurred. Major institutional reforms were passed during this period in particular to increase the participation of women and indigenous peoples in public affairs. The inclusion of the principles of gender equality and interculturality in the new constitution of 2009 is one of the clearest sign of this new approach. Similarly, another sector of the Bolivian population that had been traditionally prevented from exercising political rights. that is, Bolivians residing abroad have been closely attended to by the Evo Morales government since 2006. After the first external voting experience in 2009, the system was once again reformed to enable greater participation from abroad in the 2014 presidential election. These elements confirm that the extension of political rights in Bolivia is a process that has gone trough major changes over the past two decades but remains a work in process. [less ▲]

This paper studies path synthesis for nonholonomic mobile robots moving in two-dimensional space. We first address the problem of interpolating paths expressed as sequences of straight line segments, such ... [more ▼]

This paper studies path synthesis for nonholonomic mobile robots moving in two-dimensional space. We first address the problem of interpolating paths expressed as sequences of straight line segments, such as those produced by some planning algorithms, into smooth curves that can be followed without stopping. Our solution has the advantage of being simpler than other existing approaches, and has a low computational cost that allows a real-time implementation. It produces discretized paths on which curvature and variation of curvature are bounded at all points, and preserves obstacle clearance. Then, we consider the problem of computing a time-optimal speed profile for such paths. We introduce an algorithm that solves this problem in linear time, and that is able to take into account a broader class of physical constraints than other solutions. Our contributions have been implemented and evaluated in the framework of the Eurobot contest. [less ▲]

We will here again consider many tips and tricks. This time, they will mostly come from Glad Deschrijver, TeX Tricks, 2011. (http://users.ugent.be/~gdschrij/LaTeX/textricks.html.) Tricks: vertically ... [more ▼]

We will here again consider many tips and tricks. This time, they will mostly come from Glad Deschrijver, TeX Tricks, 2011. (http://users.ugent.be/~gdschrij/LaTeX/textricks.html.) Tricks: vertically aligned itemize environments, allowing linebreaks after comma in math mode, writing under and over elements, and using stacks, footnotes with a new number at each section, footnotes in tabular, splitting algorithm environments on multiple pages, let " produce opening/closing quotation marks, indenting some text but not the first line, using diagonal dots positioned according to the opposite diagonal, using a centered verbatim environment, drawing a table with dashed lines, shaded cells and arrows pointing at a row and a column, correct spacing around square brackets (used for sets) in math mode. [less ▲]

We will here give three tricks: i. using a personalized \overline, ii. boxing every digit of an integer, iii. using \scalebox. I will then expose my point of view about the LaTeX learning curve, and give ... [more ▼]

We will here give three tricks: i. using a personalized \overline, ii. boxing every digit of an integer, iii. using \scalebox. I will then expose my point of view about the LaTeX learning curve, and give some of the most common beginners’ mistakes. [less ▲]

After having looked at about 150 StackExchange pages of 50 topics (that sums up to about 7500 topics’ names), I give you, in this article and in the next issue, the most interesting topics’ answers to my ... [more ▼]

After having looked at about 150 StackExchange pages of 50 topics (that sums up to about 7500 topics’ names), I give you, in this article and in the next issue, the most interesting topics’ answers to my eyes. We will first begin by two additions in regard to 31(3), 32(1). [less ▲]

This is the second (and last) part of the tricks I found on StackExchange. First part began in the preceding issue. We will begin by a personal trick, and end by some inquiry about my LaTeX Tips & Tricks.

This is the 10th edition of my `Tips & Tricks.' This time, we shall first see how to write `dancing text,' roman numerals, how to draw under and over braces on same elements, and how to display aligned ... [more ▼]

This is the 10th edition of my `Tips & Tricks.' This time, we shall first see how to write `dancing text,' roman numerals, how to draw under and over braces on same elements, and how to display aligned (in)equations systems. We will then end by discussing on BibLaTeX and Biber, which constitute a promising alternative to BibTeX. [less ▲]

What can immigrants do for non-migrant relatives in their home country who need healthcare they cannot afford? To answer this question, we first examine four existing methods that can be found in the ... [more ▼]

What can immigrants do for non-migrant relatives in their home country who need healthcare they cannot afford? To answer this question, we first examine four existing methods that can be found in the existing literature: mobility, remittances, workers’ health insurance and diasporic health insurance. In the second part of the paper, we discuss an innovative strategy called “transnational health insurance” (THI). These insurance schemes are set up by immigrants in cooperation with a multitude of actors including health insurance companies in destination countries and healthcare providers in countries origin. THIs offer health coverage to non-migrant relatives in the home country based on a premium paid directly by immigrants to the insurance company in their country of residence. Analyzing the creation and implementation of Belgian-Congolese THIs, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these schemes in responding to the needs of both immigrants and their non-migrant relatives. The article concludes with a discussion on the specificities of THIs as hybrid forms of remittances. [less ▲]

This paper looks at the relationship between higher education ministers and the performance of the sector that they govern. Using an original panel dataset with the characteristics of European higher ... [more ▼]

This paper looks at the relationship between higher education ministers and the performance of the sector that they govern. Using an original panel dataset with the characteristics of European higher education ministers, we find that having a past experience in the sector leads to a higher level of performance, as measured by ranking data. Making a parallel with the literature about the impact of education on the educated, we discuss potential explanations behind the impact of this on-the-job learning experience. As we find that this characteristic has no impact on the spendings of the sector, we argue that this academic experience makes them more prone to introduce adequate reforms. Furthermore, we find that this result is driven by ministers with both this sector-specific and an electoral experience, the latter measured by a succesful election at the regional or national level. This tends to show that political credibility should not be overshadowed by the importance of the sector-specific experience of ministers. [less ▲]

This paper studies the links between non-renewable and intermittent renewable energy sources in the production of electricity. We argue that the relationship between the price of natural gas and ... [more ▼]

This paper studies the links between non-renewable and intermittent renewable energy sources in the production of electricity. We argue that the relationship between the price of natural gas and investments in solar and wind capacity is represented by a bell-shaped curve, as opposed to being linear. Hence, for relatively low natural gas prices, the two modes of production are substitutes. After a price threshold is reached, the two are complementary. A theoretical model explains this as the trade-off resulting from two forces: the input price differential of these two modes of production and the risks related to the unpredictable nature of renewable energy. Using U.S. state-level data from 1998 to 2012, we find that this relationship is robust to various empirical specifications. [less ▲]

We explore the link between health indicators and employment rates of the population aged 55 or more. Our focus lies on work capacity as a key determinant of employment. Using cohort mortality information ... [more ▼]

We explore the link between health indicators and employment rates of the population aged 55 or more. Our focus lies on work capacity as a key determinant of employment. Using cohort mortality information as a proxy for overall health outcomes, we establish a substantial untapped work capacity in the population 55+. Similar results are obtained when relying on individual-level objective and subjective health and socioeconomic parameters as predictors. [less ▲]